From what I can tell, beta patch notes are out. As usual, people are getting emo about them. Why overreact to what will not be finalized for months? We don't even know that this is everything, I'm certain it isn't.

I do think we should look at new talents and spells, compare them to other classes, as see where we seem to end up. This is, after all, the time to look at balance. But we should realize that this is also the time of change, probably rapid change. I predict new patch notes (with significant changes, I don't mean a handful of bug fixes), within two weeks.

Perhaps I have rose-colored goggles. Perhaps many people have smeared brown goggles. We are accepted, even desired in raids. Holy is diminishing, but in its current healbot form, it should be diminished. Holy warrior and healbot do not mix. Until holy is reworked to be more active than hiding in the back casting two heals, it should be bad enough that no one is ever pressured to spec in it. Protection is far better than is was. It actually tanks. Our greatest strength may be trash and 'gimmicks', but what is a gimmick? Why is a dozen murlocs a gimmick but a slow-hitting mob not? It's all just a matter of what we are used to, what we've been told is normal. I look forward to the day when single-mob bosses are a gimmick and in their place are ten thousand NPCs running amok. Ret isn't shitty DPS anymore and it brings some nice buffs. JoW is definitely underrated.

We've been buffed, massively. Why would it not happen again? Prot definitely needs reworking. I don't consider it a real tanking tree/class anymore, just a massive bandaid. It works, but it's sure not pretty. From the sound of it, Blizzard plans to make it more interactive. Who knows, maybe someday holy tree spells will stop being our bread and butter for aggro.